Treasury ducklings hatching amid tight security

WASHINGTON (AP) - Break out the cigars. The Treasury ducklings are hatching.

The brown mallard duck, which became Washington's newest tourist attraction a block away from the White House, began hatching her ducklings Saturday afternoon.

For the curious tourists gathered around her enclosure, there wasn't a lot of activity to see because the hatching was occurring underneath her.

The Secret Service uniformed division, which normally guards the president and other dignitaries, has been protecting the duck and her nest since she laid her eggs in early April, keeping the mother duck safe from tourists who stopped to snap pictures.

They installed metal guardrails around the nest, which just happened to be in a mulch pile around a tree at the main entrance to the Treasury Department, which is next door to the White House.

The duck was given various nicknames by Treasury employees from "Quacks Reform" to "T-Bill" and "Duck Cheney."